Contents

History

The North Beach at Fort Worden.

Fort Worden was an active US Army base from 1902 to 1953. It was
purchased by the State of Washington in 1957 to house a juvenile
detention facility. In 1971, use was transferred to the Washington State Parks and Recreation
Commission and Fort Worden State Park was opened in 1973.

Fort Worden was one of three artillery installations built
around Admiralty
Inlet at the beginning of the 20th century to protect Puget Sound from
hostile naval activity. Though its guns never fired a hostile shot
and were removed during World War I for use in Europe, Fort Worden
was used for training a variety of military personnel and for other
defense purposes. These three posts, established in the late 1890s,
became the first line of a fortification system known as the
"Triangle of Fire" and were designed to prevent a hostile fleet
from reaching such targets as the Puget Sound
Naval Shipyard and the cities of Seattle, Tacoma
and Everett.

Construction

Alexander's Castle.

Construction on Fort Worden began in 1897 and continued in one
form or another until the fort was closed in 1953.

Construction work on the initial fortifications above
Point Wilson were
delayed until July 1897. The property was privately owned and the
government had to clear title to the land through condemnation
proceedings. The Army Corps of
Engineers took charge of building the construction dock,
warehouses, and a tramway to haul concrete for the gun emplacements from the
dock to the mixing plant. To meet construction needs, the Army laid
a pipeline from Port Townsend and pumped water into large
storage tanks inside the fort. The arrival of wet winter weather
slowed progress on the batteries. It took 200 men almost three
years to complete the excavation and concrete work for the gun
emplacements.

In March 1900, the fort was ready for installation of the
initial armaments. Sixteen artillery pieces, shipped from the
armory at Columbus, Ohio, arrived from Tacoma by barge. A special tramway was
constructed to haul the heavy artillery pieces from the dock area to top of
the bluff. In March 1901 the guns were moved to their assigned
positions and mounted in the batteries, ready for test firing.

Fort Worden was activated in 1902. The 126th Coast Artillery
Company, consisting of 87 soldiers, commanded by Captain Manus
McCloskey, was the first detachment assigned to Fort Worden. They
arrived from Seattle on
board the steamer SS Majestic on May 3, 1902, and were quartered in
tents pending the completion of the barracks. Twenty-three permanent buildings
were under construction at a cost of $59,450. A communication
system, connecting the three forts by cable, was installed in
1903.

Military
use

On September 4, 1904, the headquarters of the Harbor Defense Command
of Puget Sound was transferred from Fort Flagler to Fort
Worden along with the 6th Artillery Band. Once work on the main
batteries and army post had been completed, more troops were
assigned there. By the fall of 1905, Fort Worden was fully staffed
with four Coast Artillery companies, and the harbor defense system,
costing approximately $7.5 million, was considered complete and
operational. The initial armaments consisted of six gun
emplacements: Batteries Ash, Powell, Brannon, Quarles, Randol, and
Vicars. Between 1905 and 1910, six additional gun emplacements were
added: Batteries Tolles, Stoddard, Benson, Putnam, Walker, and
Kinzie. When completed, Fort Worden had 41 artillery pieces,
completing its part of the "Triangle of Fire": two 12-inch
disappearing guns, two 12-inch barbette guns, two 10-inch
disappearing guns, five 10-inch barbette guns, eight 6-inch
disappearing guns, two 5-inch pedestal guns, four 3-inch pedestal
guns, and sixteen 12-inch mortars.

During World War
I, the complement at Fort Worden was greatly expanded as
soldiers arrived for training prior to being sent to European
battlefields. To keep up with the demand, construction of new
barracks and buildings continued throughout the war. Thirty-six of
the fort's 41 artillery pieces were dismantled and shipped to
European battlefields. After World War I, the fort's staffing was
reduced to 50 officers and 884 enlisted men. Aircraft and balloons began to claim an
important role in Puget
Sound's defensive strategy, diminishing the role of coastal
artillery. In the 1920s, a balloonhangar was built at Fort Worden at a cost of
$85,000. During this time, some of the batteries were modernized
and made "bomb-proof."

During World War
II, Fort Worden remained the headquarters of the Harbor Defense Command
and it was jointly operated by the Army and the Navy. The fort was home
to the 14th Coast Artillery Regiment of the U.S. Army, the 248th
Regiment of the Washington National Guard,
the 2nd Amphibious Engineers, and miscellaneous U.S.
Navy personnel. The Army operated radar sites and coordinated Canadian and U.S.
defense activities in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. The Navy,
responsible for the detection and identification of all vessels
entering and leaving Puget Sound, monitored new underwater sonar
and sensing devices. Most of the gun emplacements were modified for
anti-aircraft guns, which replaced the
outdated coastal artillery pieces. Fort Worden
personnel also manned batteries and fire control towers at the Cape
George Military Reservation, six miles (10 km) southwest of Port Townsend on the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the
entrance to Discovery Bay.

After World War
II, the Coast Artillery units at Fort Worden were disbanded and
the gun batteries were dismantled. It remained active as an
administrative unit until June 30, 1953, when the Harbor Defense
Command was deactivated and the fort officially closed, ending
fifty-one years of military jurisdiction. On July 1, 1957, the State of Washington purchased Fort Worden
for $127,533 for use as a diagnostic and treatment center for
troubled youths.

Battery Brannan (1901–1943), located on Artillery Hill. It had
two plotting rooms for eight 12 inch mortars, in 1906 command was split and
removed one plotting room, in 1918 half the mortars were removed
from each pit. It was named for Brevet Maj. General John Milton
Brannan who served in the U.S.-Mexican War
and Civil
War

Battery Powell (1901–1943), located next to Battery Brannan.
Also contained eight 12 inch mortars. Named after Major Powell who
died on April 6, 1862 at the Battle of Shiloh.

Battery Ash (1900–1942), located on Artillery Hill. Contained
two barbette guns. It was
named after Brevet Lt. Col Ash who died on May 8, 1864 at Todd's
Tavern, Virginia

Battery Kinzie (1910–1944), located on Point Wilson, contained
two 12 inch disappearing guns.

Battery Benson (1907–1943), located on Artillery Hill. It
contained two 10 inch disappearing
guns. It was named after Captain Benson who died on August 11,
1862 from wounds received in action. Battery Benson has a tunnel
that runs to buildings (now in ruins)on the hill peak, two
barrancas buildings used for command and plotting, a barracks, a
2,000,000-US-gallon (6.1 acre·ft) water reservoir, the
switchboard, and signal station.

Battery Quarles (1900–1941), located on Artillery Hill. It
contained three 10 inch barbette guns. It was named for Captain
Quarles who died on August 30, 1847 at the Battle of
Churubusco, Mexico

Battery Randol (1900–1918), located on Artillery Hill. It
contained two 10 inch barbette guns. It was named for Brevet
Brigadier General Randon, a Civil War hero.

Battery Walker (1907–1946), located on the bluff facing the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Contained two 3-inch (76 mm) guns.

AMTB Battery Point Wilson (1943–1946), of which one gunblock is
now in the surf.

Fort
Worden State Park

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission acquired
most of Fort Worden on September 30, 1971, when the state closed
the juvenile treatment center. The 433-acre (175 ha) Fort
Worden State Park was opened on August 18, 1973.[5] Today
the 2.1 miles (3.4 km) of sandy beaches and high bluffs attract
residents from around the region to the multi-use recreation
facility.

The extensive system of large, abandoned bunkers are available
for exploration. The state park includes the Coast Artillery
Museum, a balloon hangar that
was used for airships, three 3-inch anti-aircraft gun emplacements, and several
restored quarters on Officers' Row. The Point Wilson Lighthouse is also located
here.

The Commanding Officer's Quarters have been restored to reflect
the early 20th century Victorian period, and are open in the summer
for tours.